As the role of the school principal evolves, fewer administrators are staying on the job for the long haul.

“There is an issue with the retention of superintendents and principals,” said Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. “We are seeing about a 15 percent turnover in principals each year.”

With an eye toward boosting the ranks of qualified school principals in Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is providing grant funding to expand a trio of training programs for new school leaders.

The DESE announced in May that it was awarding grants to expand principal preparation programs at Curry College, UMassLowell and Teachers21. Federal dollars the state got through the national Race to the Top initiative are the funding source. In its federal application, Massachusetts described a goal of increasing the number of effective educators through expanded recruitment and preparation models.

Just 72 percent of principals in Massachusetts remained in the state over a two year period, according to 2011 DESE report. The retention rate for principals who remained within the same school district over a two-year window was even lower, at 67 percent.

Narrowing the scope locally, according to district analysis data from DESE, Fall River had experienced a principal turnover rate of 29 percent in 2013, when five out of 17 principals left. In 2012, four of the 17 principals left; in 2011, three of 16 principals left their positions.

The data does not note the reasons behind the leadership changes. But according to previous Herald News reports, in 2013, at least one change in school leadership was due to retirement, another because of the closure of a school — then-Henry Lord Middle School — and another because the principal of Talbot Innovation Middle School at the time went on leave.

This fall, four city schools will have new administrators: Carlton Viveiros Elementary School, a reopened Henry Lord prekindergarten to grade 8 school, Mary Fonseca Elementary School and Spencer Borden Elementary School.

At Talbot Innovation Middle School, last year’s interim principal was reappointed as full-time principal for September.

In order to make substantive positive changes, a principal typically needs at least three years in a school, said Don Gratz, who chairs Curry College’s education department.

“Because the job has become that much more complex, they really need to have a lot more training so they’re prepared to go into a principalship and succeed,” he said. “The more they succeed, the greater the chance is of retention.”

As state and federal officials have instituted new evaluation and accountability systems over the years, the job has become more difficult and complex, Gratz said.

Curry College, based in Milton, is using its $288,000 one-year grant to expand its principal licensure program and offer 50 percent tuition discounts for aspiring principals.

Page 2 of 2 - “What we’re trying to do is attract more people to the principal profession,” Gratz said.

UMass Lowell hasn’t yet finalized its contract with the DESE, but university officials expect the institution’s grant to total approximately $500,000.

While UMass Lowell already offers a master’s program in education, it is using the grant funding to establish a new cohort based principal preparation program. The new program will work with 16 educators from Lowell, Methuen and Billerica public schools and provide contextualized training to deal with issues specific to those districts, explained Anita Greenwood, dean of the university’s graduate school of education.

“I think it’s going to be very successful,” she said. “Part of the model is to bring in experienced principals from each of these districts to work with us.”

She described the ways the principal’s role has changed over the years. In the current era of standardized tests, for example, data analysis is an important component of the job. Effectively analyzing student data helps administrators make decisions related to student performance, she said.

“Today, the principal has to be a visionary for the school,” she added. “He has to be person who puts a system in place for teacher professional development. It takes building a team. It’s not the isolated principal sitting in his or her office. It’s an incredibly demanding job.”

Wellesley based Teachers21 is using its $366,000 grant to expand its urban principal training program, which is working with educators from Worcester and Springfield.

“It specifically trains people to walk into lower performing urban schools and be effective change agents for those schools,” Teachers21 Deputy Director David Harris said.

In addition to the urban principals program, Teachers21 also runs a program for new principals from Brockton, New Bedford, Berkshire Hills, Worcester and Springfield.

“You really need coaching and support in your early years as principal,” he said. “It’s not one of those jobs you can just walk into and know how to deal with every problem thrown your way.”

Under ever-increasing scrutiny and tightening accountability standards, there isn’t as much room for learning on the job as there once was, Scott said.

“That’s why I think these programs are really important,” he said. “They teach them … the skill sets they need to have in light of the very public arena they work in.”

Herald News Staff Reporter Michael Gagne contributed to this report.

Gerry Tuoti is the Regional Newsbank Editor for GateHouse Media New England. Email him at gtuoti@wickedlocal.com or call him at 508-967-3137.